


First Day Home

by DarthTella



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: A Little Bit Smutty, Dorks in Love, F/M, Humor, Introspection, Romance, Suicidal Thoughts, which are retroactive and is resolved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 05:22:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29255163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarthTella/pseuds/DarthTella
Summary: Rose stepped inside her tiny flat and the Doctor closely followed. Seeing him standing there amongst her sparse furniture and meagre belongings was almost surreal. This shouldn’t be happening; this part-human version of the Doctor shouldn’t even exist, and Rose should be back aboard the TARDIS resuming the life she had before getting trapped in this parallel world. But these were the cards life had dealt her. There was no way to undo everything that happened, and even if there was, she was unsure if she would even change any of it.
Relationships: Metacrisis Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Comments: 12
Kudos: 55





	First Day Home

**Author's Note:**

> Yup, you saw that rating right. I finally wrote an 'M'. It's a soft M, but still.
> 
> Special thanks to galiifreywolf for being my beta! She really helped me spruce this thing up to make it presentable. XD
> 
> **Trigger Warning: there is a mention of suicidal thoughts near the end. These are resolved and the character is no longer in that state of mind.**

This was not a place she ever thought she would see again. The feeling of unlocking the front door to the tiny flat Rose used as a place to sleep and store her things in between cannon jumps was extremely surreal. This place was never meant to be a permanent home, but here she was once more. And as if things weren’t already weird enough, she would now be sharing this space with the Doctor. True, she could have accepted her mother’s invitation to stay in the manor for a few more days, but she could already see the tensions rising between her mother and the Doctor. For the sake of peace in the family, she decided it would be best to get him away from that mess waiting to happen. To her surprise, the Doctor actually resisted going to her flat at first; but only because he and Rose’s little brother, Tony, were becoming almost inseparable friends.

With a grunt, Rose pushed open the front door of her flat with her shoulder. The door had a tendency to get stuck and she never bothered getting it fixed. The pile of mail on the floor behind the door didn’t help matters either and she had to kick some of the envelopes aside. Now, it seemed like she would have to take care of this sticky door - she no longer needed to violently force it open to help her to vent some of her frustrations after she returned after a long stint of hopping through dimensions.

Rose stepped inside and the Doctor closely followed. Seeing him standing there amongst her sparse furniture and meagre belongings was almost surreal. This shouldn’t be happening; this part-human version of the Doctor shouldn’t even exist, and Rose should be back aboard the TARDIS resuming the life she had before getting trapped in this parallel world. But these were the cards life had dealt her. There was no way to undo everything that happened, and even if there was, she was unsure if she would even change any of it. Besides, she once learned the consequences of changing past events - she would never make that mistake again. The sight of the Doctor falling to the ground after being shot by a Dalek would haunt her forever, but deep down, she knew that event was a fixed point in time. Even if she didn’t understand how everything would pan out at the time, she saw how all the timelines were being drawn together. The Metacrisis had to happen or else every single universe would have been destroyed. Now that the multiverse was safe, they were now free to start living their life again. It just wasn’t the life Rose expected, and she suspected the Doctor felt very much the same way. Nobody even expected this Doctor to even come into being! Rose wasn’t sure if she’d ever understand how a being could appear fully formed and already had memories of living a life in a whole different body…

She shook her head. That line of thought was beginning to give her a headache. Besides, she’d probably be given the full unabridged version of the story in all it’s scientific detail soon enough. Rose wouldn’t even be surprised if those facts would be capable of turning the whole study of genetics on its head.

“Care for the grand tour?” Rose asked, unable to bear the awkward silence anymore. It was rare for him to be so quiet for so long. He was probably soaking up everything around him. A small smile broke across the Doctor’s face.

“Might as well. I don’t fancy getting lost in such a large place with its labyrinth of hallways.” He adjusted the large duffle bag hanging from his shoulder containing all his worldly goods; a couple changes of clothes purchased for him in Norway and a handful of toiletries including a blue toothbrush and an alarming number of hair products. Rose took a good long look at him. He seemed so calm. She didn’t expect him to be. The Doctor never liked being in one place for awfully long, a trait Rose shared with him. Now he didn’t have a TARDIS to carry them through space and time, and there was no guarantee the bit of coral he received from the other Doctor would even grow. That made Rose wonder.

“You’re really okay with all of this?” She asked, her voice sounding smaller than she wanted it to.

“Absolutely,” The Doctor nodded, “As large and as lovely as the Manor was, I’d much rather the peace and quiet with you. Even if there isn’t enough room in here to swing a cat – and someone really ought to call the RSPCA or whatever this universe calls it if that happens – I’m happy. Genuinely happy.” He smiled softly down at her, “I haven’t had a place to properly call home in centuries.” 

Rose was slightly taken aback by that.

“What about the TARDIS?” The Doctor’s smile waned slightly at her question. He tugged on his ear anxiously.

“I miss the Old Girl deeply. Not having Her in my head feels…” His hand migrated to the back of his neck and he scratched at it before clearing his throat and shoving his hands in his pockets, “anyway, ‘ _home’_ for me was really starting to be ‘ _wherever Rose is’._ So here you are, and if you’ll have me…” he trailed off again, that same fragile expression crossing his face that he had back on that Norwegian beach. Without even realising she had even told her body to start moving, Rose found herself throwing her arms around his neck and holding him tight. The duffel bag fell to the floor with a dull thud and the Doctor returned the fierce hug.

“I’m never letting you go again,” Rose whispered into the side of his neck. The Doctor shivered at the feel of her breath against his skin and squeezed her tighter, “I promised you I’d be with you forever and I meant it, I still mean it.” She felt more than heard the Doctor’s contented hum as he softly kissed her temple, and then her cheek. The Doctor loosened his hold on her but before Rose could mourn the loss of his warm embrace, he framed her face with his hands and pressed his lips to hers.

Heat pooled in her belly, despite the chaste way he kissed her. But it only remained that way for the span of a few heartbeats. Soon the tip of his tongue was probing at the seam of her lips and there was no stopping their acceleration from there. Rose’s brain had gone blissfully blank as he went on kissing her. Before she knew it, he had her pressed up against the wall with his hips keeping her pinned in place as he continued to plunder her mouth. Her lungs began to burn with the need for air and she tugged sharply at his hair which she had been mindlessly running her fingers through. Their lips broke away from each other with a gasp and a loud, wet pop. Rose petted his hair far more gently this time as they both fought to control their breathing. He looked deliciously rumpled, his hair was an absolute mess and he gazed down at her with half-lidded eyes.

“I guess I can add ‘loss of respiratory bypass’ to the list of things that’s different about me.” the Doctor chuckled breathlessly, his voice an octave deeper and more gravelly than normal. He leant his forehead against hers. “But then, you, Rose Tyler, have always been able to take my breath away.”

“You’re such a sap!” Rose groaned as she rolled her eyes.

“You love me anyways.” He chuckled, punctuating the sentence with a quick peck to her lips. It was at that moment Rose had the sudden realisation that she hadn’t yet said those three little big words to him since they arrived in this universe. It wasn’t that she doubted her feelings for him, her brain was still trying to come to terms that the Doctor split himself into two separate people, but they were still the same person. She missed the Doctor so much, but he was also the one holding her right now. How could she say those words to one of them while the other had to go on without her?

But Rose also couldn’t deny how this new, new, _new_ Doctor had captured her heart like none before him. He was actually able to voice how he felt and didn’t hold back when it came to physical affection even if she hadn’t voiced her feelings for him. For goodness sake, the man just backed her up against the wall and snogged her senseless like she always wanted him to do! Rose’s heart overflowed with absolute love for him. She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him gently, pouring every single ounce of love she felt for him into it. The Doctor just melted into the kiss and Rose could feel herself smiling into it.

“I love you too, my Doctor.” She sighed happily. His returning smile was the brightest she’d ever seen, and his eyes sparkled with genuine happiness. He looked so much younger and freer in that moment and Rose couldn’t help but kiss him again.

“Now, my love, I believe you promised me the grand tour of our home. Hm!” He giggled high in his throat, “My _love._ Ooh, I do like the sound of that. My love. Yup, definitely calling you that from here on out.” The Doctor winked at Rose before he stepped back and offered her the crook of his arm which she readily took. Her heart fluttered at his words, and she wasn’t sure if it was from the endearment he was clearly very keen on or the fact he called this tiny flat their home. Rose bit her lip as she tried to figure out where to start their little tour. From where they stood near the front door, they could see the kitchen and living room quite clearly. Rose guided him towards the kitchen first.

“Here we have the most modern of kitchens. Note the state-of-the-art appliances,” Rose drawled, gesturing towards her basic toaster and microwave that wouldn’t seem out of place in cheap, student housing, “and a fridge brimming with all the foodstuffs you need.” She opened the door to reveal a half loaf of stale bread, milk that had already gone off and some dubious slices of pizza sitting on a paper plate.

“Incredibly gourmet,” The Doctor noted with a chuckle, but she saw the shock in his eyes. Rose figured he had an idea of what she’d gone through all those years without him, but to actually see the evidence was another thing all together. She closed the fridge door, deciding not to open the freezer and let him see the pints of chocolate ice cream in there. But knowing him, he’d find them eventually and indulge his insane sweet tooth.

“Yeah, I never really ate here.” Rose admitted with a shrug. The more she thought about food the more she realised just how hungry she was. Now that she had begun eating proper meals again, her body once again started alerting her to its hunger. Looking back on it, Rose was horrified just how much she got by on so little food and sleep. At one point not too long ago, she could have gotten a blood test and the results probably would have determined her blood had transformed into pure liquid caffeine. It was a wonder she was never sent to the hospital.

“Looks like we’re going to have to go shopping.” The Doctor stated in a voice that was far happier than Rose would have expected.

“You? Grocery shopping?” Rose looked at him incredulously.

“That’s one of your funny human traditions isn’t it? I mean, you could always have things delivered to you, so you’d theoretically never, ever have to leave your house again. But there’s just something about the act of hunting and gathering that calls to the primitive part of your brains. Sure, now all you get are things like frozen fish fingers and custard and maybe the occasional vegetable, but it’s the principle of the thing.” Even though he was thoroughly insulting her species, Rose couldn’t help but laugh. She missed the Doctor’s little tirades against the human race. There was always something oddly comforting about it as she always saw his fondness for her kind.

“Well, it’s going to have to be delivery today for tea tonight, I’m afraid. I’m not up going hunting right now. But speaking of tea – the drink this time – we will need to get milk for tomorrow unless you’ve suddenly started taking yours black or have suddenly built up an immunity to spoiled milk,” she cajoled, catching the curious gleam in the Doctor’s eye as he glanced at the fridge, “which I highly advise you to _not_ check out. I still get occasional flashbacks of Mickey getting sick all over the kitchen floor after drinking spoiled milk on a dare, and I will not allow something like that to happen again. There’s a newsagent’s just at the corner we can go to.” Rose blinked as her words caught up with her. Could it really be so easy to have such a domestic life with the Doctor, a man who once had such a disdain for such things. But of course, he’d have a way to keep things interesting.

“Or…” The Doctor started rummaging around the pocket of his blue suit jacket, he muttered to himself as he dug around deeper until he practically had his entire arm into the bigger on the inside pocket. Rose idly wondered how much he actually carried around with him at all times. He laughed in triumph when he pulled out what looked like a large bottle full of glue with strange colourful writing on the label, “We can use this! Concentrated milk drops. Just one tiny drop is enough for a great cup of tea! Well, technically it’s not ‘milk’ as you know it. By that I mean it didn’t come from an Earth cow. Well… it sort of resembles a cow at any rate. Kind of. If you reeeaaaaallly squint. But it still tastes a lot like milk. Donna couldn’t tell the difference and she was picky about the milk she used.” Rose felt a stab in her heart at the mention of Donna, especially at the wistful way the Doctor said her name. He weighed the bottle of the pseudo-dairy product in his hand seemingly lost in thought. Rose gently took it from him and offered him a warm smile and he nodded in understanding.

“Do I need to put this in the fridge?” Rose asked, hoping that if she just stayed casual about his mention of Donna it would help keep him calm. The Doctor shook his head.

“Nah, the bottle… it uh… keeps it cold.” He sighed as he rubbed at his eye. Rose put the bottle on the counter next to her tin of tea bags (the one thing that was always kept full in her kitchen) and leaned against it. The Doctor seemed to be lost in thought. Rose couldn’t blame him; she saw for herself just how close he and Donna were. And she was so thankful that he had friends like Donna and Martha who kept him going when she was separated from him. Rose only wished she could have gotten to know them better herself.

Rose reached into her jacket pocket and carefully pulled out a tiny souvenir she received from Donna from their celebration on the TARDIS. It was a polaroid of everyone: her, her mum, Mickey, Sarah-Jane, Martha, Donna, Jack and both Doctors. They were all smiling and hamming it up for the camera. She laughed at the memory of the camera falling off it’s precarious perch on top of one of the coral struts right after the photo was taken.

Without comment Rose hung it up on her fridge alongside a few photos of her family and Mickey. The Doctor came close and hugged her from behind.

“She never wanted us to forget.” Rose heard the catch in the Doctor’s voice. On their way back from Norway, the Doctor explained what his other self had to do in order to save Donna’s life. The Metacrisis would have burned her brain up if he hadn’t taken away her memories. Rose was simply happy Donna had a good family to go back to, even if her mother was a bit intense. Rose’s only regret was not getting to know Wilf better. He was a kind, gentle soul who was willing to stand up to the Daleks, even if all he had was a paint gun. Rose covered the Doctor’s hands with hers and gave them a gentle squeeze.

“And we never will.” She vowed. The Doctor let out a shaky breath and kissed her temple before releasing her. A rumble in her stomach brought her back to the here and now.

“Hungry?” The Doctor asked. Rose wasn’t the least bit surprised he heard her stomach. He once told her long ago he had to tune out a lot of ambient noises as his hearing was that keen, but of course he could hear every little sound she made when he wanted to. Apparently that ability wasn’t lost in the Metacrisis along with one of his hearts.

“Starving!” She reached over and grabbed a small pile of takeout menus and started to study them, discarding the pizza one immediately as the sight in her fridge put her off it for the time being. “What are you hungry for?”

“Well…” She glanced back up at him, seeing if he was going to finish that sentence, but the smirk on his face along with the mischievous glint in his eye made her belly swoop. It took all her willpower not to launch herself at him right then and there. They had always flirted in the past, but this was a whole new level! Just how much self-restraint did he have back then? Rose pointedly cleared her throat and whacked him on the shoulder with the takeout menus.

“I meant _food._ Are you going to be like this now?” Rose chuckled.

“Like what?” Just like that the Doctor’s face transformed into a total mask of innocence that she didn’t buy for one second.

“Like such a bloke!”

“Well, last I checked I’m still a bloke. The halted regeneration and Metacrisis didn’t change that.” He shrugged.

“Hold on,” Rose blinked at him, “are you really gonna tell me that you could’ve regenerated into a woman?”

“Does that bother you?”

“No, not at all… just I wasn’t expecting that. Were you ever…?” Rose tried to imagine what the Doctor would have been like had he been a woman. The Doctor would still be attractive to her, of that she was certain.

“As far as I remember I was always male. Memory does get patchy in a few places though. You have to understand that gender for Time Lords was never a big deal anyway, especially when looming became all the rage. Just a tiny genetic sample was all that was needed, and it could all be rearranged so a result was a healthy Time Tot.”

“ _Time Tot?_ ” The laugh that Rose let out could never be described as dignified, but the Doctor stared indignantly at her.

“So, the whole genderfluid thing you’re not really phased by, but when I tell you what we called our _children_? Rose Tyler, I have never been so insulted in my entire life!” He finally smiled to let her know he was joking, and for several minutes they stood in that tiny kitchen laughing until they could barely breathe.

After finally recollecting themselves, the Doctor swiped the takeout menus out of Rose’s hands. “Right! Food!” Was it Rose’s imagination or was he _squinting?_ He subtly tried to adjust the distance of the menus from his eyes, but in the end muttered something under his breath about ‘rubbish human eyesight’ and pulled his glasses out of his pocket. To Rose’s horror, she found herself biting back a whimper. She had long ago designated those glasses his ‘sexy specs’ but those added to his mussed-up hair due to their snog a few minutes ago did some really interesting things to her insides. It took her a moment to realise the Doctor was speaking again.

“Uh, what?” Rose asked dumbly when he finished talking, inwardly kicking herself for her inattentiveness. The Doctor shot her a knowing smile.

_Damn._

“I asked if you’re alright with Chinese. There are a couple dishes here that never existed back in our universe that I’d love to try.” He waved the menu in front of her face, a menu she had actually meant to throw out because it was all written in Chinese and she couldn’t understand it.

“Sure, I’ll give it a go,” She shrugged, “but you’re gonna have to order, because I have no clue how to read any of that.” Rose passed him her mobile. He dialed the number and excitedly spoke to whomever was on the other end - and realised that she’d have no idea what she was going to be eating until it arrived, as he was speaking perfect Mandarin. Rose always knew he could speak millions of languages, but to actually hear him do it was a new one for her. The TARDIS had always translated for her and that included everything he said. But already there were a handful of times she heard him speaking a different language since their arrival in this universe. He spoke Norwegian with the hotel staff, and she heard him talking in his sleep in this strange, lilting language that she suspected was actually Gallifreyan.

Besides, the type of food really didn’t matter to her. Unfamiliar food didn’t put her off like it used to, and she sometimes still craved some of the alien dishes she was introduced to back when she was travelling through time and space. 

After a couple of minutes, he hung up and tossed the phone back to her.

“They’ll have it here in about forty-five minutes. Plenty of time to finish our grand tour.” He removed his glasses and put them back into his pocket before wiggling his fingers at her. She grabbed his hand eagerly and pulled him out of the kitchen. The living room was pretty self-explanatory: sofa, telly, coffee table that also doubled as her desk and dinner table. Rose quickly cleaned up the stacks of paper so they’d have room to eat when the food arrived. The loo was next. The Doctor opened up his duffel bag and tossed all of his toiletries on the countertop next to the sink much to Rose’s chagrin. She made sure they were all stacked neatly and even grabbed him his own cup to keep his toothbrush in. The sight of her stuff next to his just felt so right, like finally the pieces of her life that had been blown to bits were all coming back together.

“Right, spare room next.” Rose announced leading the way. She opened the door to a small and simple bedroom. Just a twin bed covered in steel grey linens and a small desk. “I never really used this room much. Mickey and Jake would sometimes crash here though when they were too tired to travel all the way back home after a long day.”

“So, you and Mickey never…?” The Doctor shrugged, trying to sound casual. Rose could tell he was doing his best to reign in his jealousy. Not that he really had anything to be jealous of in Rose's mind.

“No, we never got back together,” Rose answered honestly, “once the dimension cannon project started in full swing, we just drifted further apart. We were still friends but… it was never the same.”

“I’m sorry.” The Doctor squeezed her shoulder gently, and Rose allowed the small comfort. "He did good in the end though. And I'll tell you one thing: I think he and Martha Jones might ought to have a little chat sometime. It may just be that bit of Donna’s personality in me, but I can just tell. He'll be just fine."

"Yeah, they could bond over embarrassing stories about you." Rose poked him right in the chest as she flashed him her signature tongue touched smile.

"I dread to think." The Doctor shuddered, then he asked, “What about Jake?”

Rose laughed at his question.

“I’m not his type, _really_ not his type.” The Doctor looked genuinely confused.

“But you’re good enough friends that he crashes here sometimes.”

“Yup, that’s true. He’s become one of my closest friends here actually. Still, let’s just say _you’re_ more his type.” Rose winked at him.

“Ah.” The Doctor finally seemed to cotton on. “So, he likes tall, dark and handsome blokes more than sweet, pink and yellow ladies.”

“Exactly!”

“Well, I suppose I can congratulate his taste in men." He preened, "So, is this where I’ll be sleeping?” The Doctor stepped further into the room and went to place his duffel bag onto the bed, but Rose swiftly grabbed it from him. Was he being serious? After the way he kissed her only a few minutes ago Rose thought he’d be more clued into the sleeping arrangements. Or maybe he wasn’t ready for that step yet. They shared a bed in Norway and for the one night they spent in the manor. He had held her in his arms as they fell asleep, and Rose had never felt more content in her life. But she wouldn’t force this decision on him.

“There’s still one more room left on our tour, remember?” She smiled up at him, shouldering his bag which was somehow heavier than she expected. What did he put in there? Rocks? As she stepped up to her bedroom door and reached for the doorknob, Rose felt as if a million butterflies had suddenly taken up residence in her belly. Pushing through her sudden nerves she opened the door.

There wasn’t anything special about her bedroom. The queen-sized bed did take up most of the room along with her small dressing table and wardrobe, but she did try to liven it up a little by stringing a few fairy lights above her bed. She would sometimes pretend they were stars on nights she had a hard time sleeping, and imagined the Doctor was lying next to her telling her stories about the stars above.

Now she didn’t need to imagine his presence anymore if he wanted to share. Rose wanted that more than anything.

“Cozy!” The Doctor grinned, “And that bed looks a lot more comfortable.” There it was again, that coy glint in his eye that made him look far less innocent than he sounded.

“And room enough for two.” Rose bit her lip, hoping he was on the same wavelength as her.

“Is there? Let’s see.” In one swift move that took Rose completely off guard, the Doctor had swept her up in his arms and he tossed her onto the mattress and he lept in after her. Suddenly he was hovering over her on his hands and knees, his face mere inches from hers. His wide, toothy grin filled her vision.

“Hello.” He practically purred, his voice pitched low.

“Hello.” Rose laughed, nearly going cross-eyed trying to see his face clearly since it was so close, but they quickly closed on their own accord as he kissed her. Once again, Rose buried her hands in his hair and let herself get lost within him. He took his time, exploring every corner of her mouth he could find, only pausing to gasp in a breath here and there. Rose couldn’t help but shiver as he drew the tip of his tongue over the ridges of the roof of her mouth. She felt more than heard his chuckle as he deliberately repeated the action just a tad bit slower and this time Rose couldn’t stop the quiet moan that forced its way up her throat.

“Like that, do you?” The Doctor smiled against her lips, “Let’s see where else you like.” He pressed a line of kisses down her jaw before moving onto her neck. Her whole body shuddered as he latched onto the pulse point just below her right ear. His teeth bit into the sensitive flesh just hard enough to sting and he laved his tongue over the same spot to sooth her skin. Heat flooded throughout Rose’s body, suddenly needing more. There were too many layers between them that needed to go. Her hands flew down to the buttons on his jacket and she fumbled for a few seconds before she got it open. She slipped her hands under his shirt and ran her fingertips over his spine. He released her neck with a gasp.

“You’re still colder than me,” Rose noted absently moving her hands over the planes of his back.

“Still, warmer than I was. My blood runs only marginally hotter than it did. Although, maybe it’s about to get hotter.” He grunted, kissing a line down to her clavicle. “Still, I love your warm hands. Feels so nice.”

Rose found a small, raised bit of skin between his shoulder blades, “Ooh, here’s that legendary mole.” She used her nail to draw a circle around it causing him to shudder.

“You mean Cole?”

“You named it?” Rose’s laugh turned into more of a moan as he licked a line from her clavicle to her chin with the tip of his tongue.

“Do not mock Cole the Mole.” He chuckled, nipping at her bottom lip. Rose drew another circle around his mole.

“Anything else of yours have a name?” She smirked at him.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” he replied darkly, “Need to get these out of the way first.”

In a flash, he sat up and removed his jacket and t-shirt. Rose’s hands moved over the newly revealed skin and through his sparse chest hair. He wasn’t as scrawny as he appeared. He had some honest lean muscle on him. His abdominal muscles jumped slightly as she ran her fingers lower and through the wispy hairs just below his navel that disappeared underneath the waistband of his trousers.

“Rose,” The Doctor only managed her name before she hooked her leg over his and used that leverage to roll him onto his back. It was a self-defense move she learned during her training at Torchwood, but she was happy she found a much more pleasant use for it. Clearly stunned by the sudden change of position, he stared dumbly up at her. Rose just chuckled and then grabbed his face and kissed him for all he was worth. The Doctor willingly gave up control to her, merely encouraging her to get closer by pressing his hands gently on her lower back. Before long she too moved onto his neck, causing him to cry out when she nibbled at his Adam’s apple. She explored everywhere she could, focusing on the join between his neck and shoulder. He scrabbled at the zipper on her jacket as if he’d never seen such a thing before. She gently batted his hands away and opened her jacket herself tossing it onto the floor in the general direction of his clothes.

“Shirt too,” he gasped, evidently trying to sound stern, but he couldn’t quite do it. The effect she was having on him was starting to be obvious. She sat back against him, rocking her hips slightly teasing him with the slightest bit of friction. 

“ _Ngk!_ ” It wasn’t a word in any language Rose was familiar with, but the Doctor clearly got his meaning across as his hands flew to her hips to keep her steady as his breathing became ragged.

Rose made a show of removing her t-shirt and throwing it aside. His eyes went wide, and his jaw went slack.

“And this is just my frumpy day-to-day bra.” Rose laughed. “Wait until you see some of the lacier ones I have.”

“As lovely as that sounds, I don’t wanna wait.” The Doctor ground out, as his fingers began working the clasp and swore as it fought against his efforts. He crowed in triumph as he finally worked it out and he tossed the offending garment away, replacing the bra’s cups with his own hands. Now it was Rose’s breathing turning ragged and she couldn’t help but rock against him some more as he gently squeezed her chest.

“You’re so beautiful.” He sighed happily. Rose felt her cheeks warm at the compliment. She’d been told that by so many men, but they never sounded as sincere as the Doctor did in this very moment.

“You’re not so bad yourself, you know.” She ran her fingers through his hair and smiled down at him. He arched into her touch. Of course he loved having his hair played with.

Rose gasped in surprise as the Doctor pulled the same maneuver on her and flipped their positions. Once again, she found herself on her back, one of his hands now replaced with his mouth. He suckled one breast, then the other while his fingers teased its twin with featherlight touches. Rose gasped loudly as he brought his teeth into play as he grasped her breast in his hand more firmly, squeezing and rolling. Bolts of pleasure shot from her chest down to her core.

His free hand, which had been caressing her side began migrating lower. Finally it had made its way to the button of her jeans and he worked them open.

“Please,” Rose whined, not wanting to wait any more. They had hardly begun, and he was already driving her wild. The Doctor kissed her sternum as his fingers drifted lower. Lower.

_Ding-dong._

The Doctor startled and jumped away from Rose like he just received an electric shock. He ruffled his hair sheepishly as they just stared at one another.

“That’ll be the food then,” He scooped up his shirt off the floor and pulled it on, “be right back, love.” He knelt over her and kissed her gently before bolting for the front door. Rose just lay there for a moment, her body still humming with endorphins even though he barely touched her. If he were any other man, she would have been incredibly insulted if he worked her up like that and then ran off. But he wasn’t any other man; he was every bit her Doctor. Besides, he wasn’t running away because it was getting too intense, hell - she was surprised how far along they actually went! And it wasn’t awkward in the least. Their easygoing banter and laughter was the same as ever, just punctuated with searing kisses and sensual touches.

Was this what their relationship was heading for all along? He never made a move like this back on the TARDIS - Rome being the one exception to the rule, but it was never spoken of again. Hugs and handholding seemed to be his limit, but there were also those lingering looks he’d shoot her when he thought she wasn’t looking.

Unbidden, her mind drifted to thoughts of the other Doctor that returned to the Prime Universe. Was what she was doing now a betrayal to him? Rose sighed deeply. He would want her to be happy, right? She pushed the guilt that was threatening to overcome her away. Part of her knew that she would never be one-hundred percent over the Doctor that left her behind, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her from loving the one she was with.

She made a silent wish that the other Doctor would find his happiness someday and that he’d find friends who supported him like Martha and Donna did when he was hurting the most. Perhaps even fall in love again if he met another special someone.

They were the same Doctor but now fundamentally different people.

Rose reluctantly sat up and saw her purse sitting on her dresser and sighed. The Doctor had no money of his own yet to pay the delivery bloke. She figured she had better catch up to him before he tried to pay with alien crystals or something.

“Wait, you’re gonna need money!” Rose called after him as she quickly did up her jeans and pulled her own shirt back on without bothering with her bra. She jogged after him and tossed him her purse, “How much is this going to cost, anyways?”

“Oh, about twenty-five quid or so. You guys use pound sterling here, right?” The Doctor asked sorting through the money. Rose nodded.

“Yeah, we do.” The delivery guy threw a curious look at Rose. She pointed at the Doctor while he wasn’t looking and mouthed ‘ _He’s from Scotland’_ which she belatedly realised made things even more confusing since he spoke with a distinct Estuary accent. The delivery bloke just shrugged and accepted the money from the Doctor. Rose rolled her eyes seeing that he had tipped _very_ graciously, but it was fine. Pete had given her a quite generously sized bank account when she arrived. Rose didn’t use it much as she felt more accomplished earning her own keep, but if she was now living with the Doctor things could start getting pricey.

“Dinner is served!” He announced, bringing the bags of food over to the coffee table and plopping himself down on the sofa. He pulled box after box of food from the bag, so much that Rose imagined they’d have leftovers if the Doctor had also lost his seemingly bottomless stomach.

“Now, where to start?” He rubbed his hands together as he focused on the boxes in front of him almost as much as he did her exposed body only moments before.

“You did say there were different dishes here.” Rose said as she sat herself next to him. The Doctor quickly reached for a box and opened it as if he was a child on Christmas morning. He peered inside and his smile completely vanished.

“What? This is just pork fried rice!” He lamented, “Maybe they just have a different word for ‘pork’ then…”

“You mean, you didn’t even know what you were ordering?” Rose snickered at him as he reached for another box and pouted even more as he just found chicken dumplings inside.

“There were _some_ differences in dialect. They seemed like pretty minor differences to me.” He admitted sheepishly, “I’m usually quicker on the uptake.”

“Don’t beat yourself up about it,” Rose had already snatched a fork out of the bag and grabbed herself a chicken dumpling right from under his nose, “I’m still not used to the traffic lights being blue here - I keep saying ‘ _green_ ’! I tell you, Mickey gloated so much when he first noticed them.”

“I remember him mentioning that.” The Doctor smiled as he started digging into a box of chow mein. He hummed in appreciation as he took the first bite.

“Good?” Rose giggled.

“Sho goo!” He sighed around a mouthful of food. Rose playfully scoffed at his complete lack of table manners. He plucked up a rather large mouthful with his chopsticks (of course he was using them, the show off) and held it out towards her. “Go on, Rose. Try some!” She leaned forward, trying to stifle her giggles as he fed her. Her eyes went wide as flavours hit her tongue. The Doctor wasn’t lying; it was absolutely delicious!

They ate in relative silence as they were both hungrier than they thought. Bits of food were shared between them, and Rose nearly choked laughing as the Doctor attempted to reenact the spaghetti scene from _Lady and the Tramp_ with a fried noodle. The noodle unfortunately snapped in half as Rose tried to get her side in her mouth, but it didn’t matter; the Doctor still got the kiss he was after.

Eventually they made it through the entire meal of the very same Chinese food that existed in the Prime Universe just with slightly different names. They weren’t going to have leftovers after all. Rose felt stuffed to the brim and she leaned back onto the sofa in satisfaction.

“Best meal I had in ages.” She sighed.

“Ah, but we still haven’t gotten to the best part.” The Doctor dug through the bag until he found his prize. With a flourish, he presented Rose with two fortune cookies. Rose only deliberated for a moment before snatching one. Together they unwrapped their cookies and snapped them open to reveal the strips of paper inside, the Doctor grimacing slightly as he popped a piece of cookie in his mouth and started chewing.

“Still tastes like slightly sweetened cardboard. But that’s tradidition innit?”

Rose read her fortune and couldn’t help but smile. She knew they were just generic fortunes that could be interpreted in multiple ways. Still, this one was just perfect given her current situation.

“‘ _You will have a long life with someone you hold dear’,”_ Rose read as she smiled up at the Doctor, “I did promise you forever didn’t I?” Her smile slipped when she realised the Doctor was just staring at his fortune.

“‘ _The howl of the wolf has led you home._ ’” He said in awe, “Rose… you… no… what?” He was at a complete loss for words. Rose took the small strip of paper from his fingers; a shiver went down her spine as she read the text for herself. Okay, so not so generic fortunes then. Scarily spot on, in fact.

“So this was always meant to happen,” She breathed as a brief gold-tinged memory swept through her mind of timelines, universes and other impossible things, “I wonder how long a life we’re going to have together if I, I mean Bad Wolf, arranged all of this.”

“Let’s see then.” The Doctor leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes. Rose could tell by the slight furrow of his brow that he was in deep concentration. She knew that he had the innate ability to see the flow of time itself. Usually he tried to keep it all in the back of his mind so he could actually concentrate on the here and now, but every once in a while he took a peek to see how certain things all tied together.

“It’s all a bit fuzzy,” he muttered, “seeing one’s own timeline was something that was really discouraged back on Gallifrey and therefore I’ve learned to ignore it for the most part. I’d go insane otherwise. But…” He opened his eyes again, “no. Couldn’t be…” He jumped up from the couch and ran back into the bedroom. Moments later he returned with his suit jacket in his hands as he frantically searched the pockets.

“Come on, I know I grabbed it. HA!” Rose blinked at the very familiar object in his hand. It was the one thing he never went anywhere without.

“You swiped the sonic?” She half gasped half laughed. 

“OI!” He cried, sounding a bit like a certain red-headed companion of his, “It’s _my_ sonic screwdriver too, you know. Don’t worry, _he_ has a spare.” He waved it off, then shrugged, “Somewhere. Maybe. The TARDIS will just give him another one probably if he’s lucky. Either that or he’ll just turn back into Mr. Cricket-Celery Man who could save the universe with a kettle and some string. Some of my best work actually. Now…” Rose didn’t have time to process whatever insanity he was rambling about as the Doctor crouched on the floor in front of her. She could feel the tiny vibrations just under her skin from the sonic as he scanned her from head to toe. Rose was never sure just how he could figure out what his favourite little tool was telling him, but she watched the awe and disbelief as it crossed his face.

“No way,” He breathed, most likely to himself. He turned the sonic onto himself and ran the same scan. “Oh this is _brilliant!_ ”

“Rose Tyler, you beautiful human being,” Rose smiled at his praise, “when you became the Bad Wolf, it apparently changed you somehow. I thought I sensed it when you arrived, but the whole Dalek thing kind of grabbed my attention and I couldn’t focus on that properly until now.”

“Changed me how?” Rose was having a hard time wrapping her head around what the Doctor was implying.

“Your lifespan, Rose. It looks like you’re going to live for centuries. Your aging process has slowed exponentially.”

“But you said you’ll grow old at the same time as me and never regenerate.” The Doctor raised his eyebrow, waiting for her to piece it all together, “Oh.”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yup.” He popped the ‘p’ ostentatiously. Rose tackled him in a hug causing him to land a bit ungracefully onto the floor. Thankfully there was a plush area rug below him to soften his fall, “You and I, Rose, are going to live a long, long time. Well, barring accidents, I suppose.” Rose pinched his side as hard as she could causing him to and yelp.

“Don’t you dare jinx this, Doctor!” She warned.

“Well, I do remember describing you as ‘jeopardy friendly’ before.” He chuckled. 

“Oi, how many times did I have to save your arse?” Rose pushed at his shoulder playfully.

“Oh, at least once. Maybe twice.” The Doctor shrugged. He reached up and tucked a strand of Rose’s hair behind her ear, his face softening, “Honestly Rose, you’ve saved me in so many different ways. I don’t think you realise how much you saved my life, and I’m not just talking about pulling me out of the line of fire.”

The Doctor sat up and crossed his legs beneath him and Rose mirrored his position. But he didn’t look up at her, he just kept his eyes on the carpet.

“I wasn’t planning on leaving that rooftop after we first met.” he said quietly. Rose’s chest suddenly felt hollow. That was a night that she would remember for the rest of her life. She surely would have died in that department store basement if the Doctor hadn’t grabbed her hand and told her to run. Rose’s mind raced, but she couldn’t think of a single thing to say.

“The war had left me a shell of who I was. There was even a period of time where I didn’t even call myself ‘the Doctor’ thinking that would distance me from my actions. It obviously didn’t work. I was mortally wounded in the final battle, I hadn’t even seen my new face until I caught it in the mirror of your flat. And the only reason I was there was because you brought a spark back into my life. You asked questions and got my curiosity going again. I had to get to the bottom of the mystery. Rose you have no idea how happy I was to see your face through that cat flap.” The memory brought a smile back to his face and Rose’s chest once again filled with warmth.

“You did a good job of hiding it then.” She reached out and took his hand. His fingers automatically curled around hers.

“It was absolutely love at first sight, even if I was too thick to see it right away.” He finally looked up at her. He brought his hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. That small action re-ignited the flame from earlier. Within seconds Rose was practically in his lap while his lips moved languorously against hers. Rose gasped in surprise as he untangled his legs out from beneath him and stood up with her in his arms.

“You’re stronger than you look.” Rose giggled as the Doctor began to carry her bridal style towards the bedroom.

“Rose Tyler, I am positively rippling with strong, manly muscles.” he preened before he unceremoniously dropped Rose onto the mattress.

As they once again got lost within each other, Rose was positively giddy with excitement that this was going to be her life for centuries. The Doctor, for his part, made sure Rose got the happy life she so rightly deserved and in return she helped him find the peace and love he was searching for.


End file.
